Hair clipper



July 11 1933 N. E. NoRsTRoM 1,917,662

HAIR CLIPPER Original Filed May 13, 1930 Patented July 11, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFI-Ical NES E. NORSTRGM, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS HAIR CLIPPER .Application led Hay 18, 1930, Serial No. 452,031. Renewed September 26, 1932.

My invention relates to hair clippers, and has for its object improvements in such devices. v 1d i In the accompanying rawing Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the base plate of a hair clipperwith the operating parts mounted thereon, the enclosing cover being omitted as not necessary to an understanding of the operation;

Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1;u

Fig. 3 is a plan of the blade supporting spring detached;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of said spring as it appears in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an elevation of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan of a blade;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation 'of two blades; Fig. 8 is a view in the direction 8 of Fig. 1, showing the adjustable guard or guide; and Fig. 9 is a partial section on lines 9-9 of Figs. 1 and 2 showing the Springs for making and breakingelectrical connections to the operating magnet.

Secured on the base 11 is a bracket 12, and 5 secured to this bracket is the laminated core 13 of a magnetic coil 14. Also, secured to the base is another bracket 15 to which is bolted a spring armature 16 which extends adjacent to the poles of the magnet 13-14.

The end of the armature bar 16 which is adjacent to the bracket 15, is bent around parallel with the bar 16 as shown at 17, and in this part is a screw 18 which serves to adjust the bar 16 from thepoles of the magnet.

The free end of 4the armature is bent around at right angles as shown at 19, and to this is bolted a bracket 20, the main part of which is horizontal and substantially parallel with the base 11. i

0 The forward end of the base 11 is made heavier than the other parts and extends downward and then upward to form a recess 21, and secured in this recess is a spring 22 having the general shape shown in Figs. 1

and 4. rihe upper part of this spring is divided into a series of separate fingers as shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

The two cutting blades 23 and 24 are just alike, and are made of tempered steel about one-sixty-ourth of an inch in thickness.

The bracket 20 has laterally extending 00 wings, and in these wings are sound pins 27 of a size which will lit into the round parts of the holes 25 shown in Fig. 6, and these pins are used to drive the upper blade 24 when the magnet operates its armature.

. As shownin Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the spring 22 has its upper part divided into lingers, and

the extreme ends of these lingers are bent upward as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The outer fingers 28 (Figs. 3 and 5) have small teats 70* 29 on their ends. These teats are of a size which will span the round parts of holes y 25 and it into the slotted extensions thereof. That is, the holes 25 are adapted to receive either the pins 27 or the teats 29, and when 75 a blade is placed on teats 29, it rests on the shoulders at each Side of those teats. The upper ends of the intermediate fingers are on a level with these shoulders so that, when a blade is placed on the teats 29, it rests on B0 all of the fingers of spring 22. e

It will be evident from the foregoing that the distance between the centers of the teats 29 is the same as the distance between the centers of the pin 27, and that these are the same as the distance between the centers of the holes 25, and between the centers of the openings 26. l As viewed in Fig. l, the distance between the tea-ts on the upward turned ends of the 90 spring 22, and the pins 27,is the distance it is across the blade from holes 25 to openings 26 (Fig. 6). When the blades are assembled, the lower blade 23 is placed with its holes 25 receiving the teats 29 and the 95 upper blade is put under the arm 20 with its holes 25 receiving the pins 27.. In this position, the teats 29 extend thru the lower blade and into the rectangular opening of the upper blade, but without touching the upper blade. Similarly, the pins 27 extend thru the holes 25 of the upper blade and into and thru the openings 26 of the lower blade but Without touching the lower blade. Each blade has relatively coarse teeth on one edge and relatively line teeth on the opposite edge. When the blades are put together to operate, the coarse teeth of one blade cooperate with the fine teeth of the other blade. -V

The cutting edges of the teeth are perpendicular to the upper and lower faces of the blade, and the sharpness of the cutting edges depends upon the sharpness of the corners where the perpendicular and horizontal faces meet. After apair of blades has been running on hair cutting for a time, the blades become dull by the rounding of the lower corners on the upper blade and the upper corners on the lower blade.

When a pair of blades have become dull, the upper blade may be turned over lengthwise sc that the previously upper face becomes the lower face, and, similarly, the lower blade may be turned over lengthwise so that its previously upper face becomes its lower face. In this position, the blades have the exact relationship they had before except thatYV the dull corners have been separated, and the sharp corners are brought together.

After the blades have been Used in this way until the newly adjacent corners have become dulled, the two blades may be turned over transversely so that the upper blade becomes the lower blade and the lower blade becomes the upper blade. In this proceeding, the teeth which we re formerly at the rear now come to the front and furnish new sharp cutting edges. After the blades have been used in this way for a time, they may be turned over lengthwise as in the first instance to bring together at the cutting line sharp corners not before used.

It will thus be seen that when blades are made` as shown and described, a single pair of blades will furnish four sets of sharp cutting edges without grinding. As blades made in this way are relatively inexpensive, they may be thrown away after all edges have become dull, and new ones substituted.

If the upper blade is slightly convex or concave in the direction of the blade movement. the flexibility of the lower blade will permit it to accommodate itself to such curvature by reason of the spring fingers 22 being distributed along the length of the blade.

Extending thru the recess 21 is a bolt 30 having a nut 31 on one end. and on this bolt is pivoted a. guard or guide 32 having ears 33 which embrace that part of the base and receive the bolt for pivoting purposes. This guard has teeth 34 on its outer edge, and when it is clamped in the position shown in Fig. 1, these teeth are closely adjacent to the blades 23 and 24. By loosening the nut 31, the guard may be turned to any desired degree on its pivot and then be clamped in new position by tightening the nut- 31.

Securedto the bracket 12 is a blockof insulation 35, and mounted on this block are contact springs 36 and 37. (Fig. 9). In the adjacent part of the armature bar is a screw 38 which carries a piece of insulation 39 adapted to engage an upper extension of the spring 36. These springs are in the electric circuit for the coil 14, and the screw 38 isadjusted so as to break the circuit as the V`armature approaches the poles of the magnet. When the circuit is broken, the res1liency of the armature bar acts as a retracting spring to draw back the armature and permit the circuit to be again completed at On the top of the bracket 20 is a boss 40 having a screw threaded hole 41. This l serves as a means for applying a massage instrument to the armature bar should it be desired to use the clipper also as a massage device.

As before described, the core 13 is bolted to the bracket 12, which in turn is secured to the base 11. While the bracket 12 is comparatively stiff, it is not absolutely rigid, but yields slightly. That is, when the armature moves toward the magnet, the magnet moves to a less degree toward the armature. That there will be such a yield will be evident from inspection of Fig. 1 where the core 13 is a long overhang from the bracket 12, and when the coil 14 is energized, there is strain at the long end of the lever from the bracket 12.

It is to be observed that the upper blade bears against the fiat under surface of the rigid bracket 20, and moves in a plane which is substantially the plane of the armature movement, or one parallel thereto. The lower blade rests on the fingers of the spring 22, and the tension of that spring holds the lower blade in contact with the under face of the upper blade. There is no strain to move the lower blade in any direction other than that the frictionof the moving upper blade acts to move the lower blade endwise. This is resisted by the end fingers 28 being somewhat wider than the intermediate fingers. The upper blade simply moves on the plane furnished by the lower blade, and there is no motion to the tension device. It is also to be observed that it is not necessary that there should be accurate setting of the bracket 20 as the spring 22 will cause the lower blade to match Whatever may be the position of an upper blade connected in a fixed position to a rigid arm.

The guard 32 is made of sheet metal stamped so that its outer face is corrugated as shown at 42. This makes the outer face of the guard correspond to what is the lower face of ordinary lower blades. In operating the clipper, this guard or guide is pressed with greater or less force against the body where the hair is being cut, and is a necessary adjunct in clippers which use spring tension to hold a lower blade against a rigidly connected upper blade. The reason for this is that if the lower blade should be pressed against the body from which hair is being cut, such pressure would cause extra friction between the blades, which extra Jfriction would act to check or stop the reciprocations of the upper blade.

When a hair clipper of this kind is operated, the armature is attracted toward the magnet and the magnet is attracted toward the armature. This last'vibratory action is conveyed to the base ll and consequently to the cover which is secured to the base. rlhis type of clipper is intended to be held in the hand when being used, and this vibration causes an unpleasant sensation in the hand. ln the present case, this vibration is reduced by making the bracket l2 slightly resilient as before described, and is further reduced by the increased mass of metal at the end of the base where the blades are supported.

What l claim is:

l. ln a hair clipper, the combination with a base, a spring secured thereto, and a lower blade supported upon said spring, ot an upper blade resting upon the lower blade, and an electro-magnetic power device carried upon the .base and serving to reciprocate the upper blade on the lower blade.

2. ln a, hair clipper, the combination with a base, a spring secured thereto, and a lower bladedetachably connected thereto and held from lateral movement thereby, of an upper blade resting on the lower blade, and a power device carried by the case and serving to move the upper blade on the lower blade. i

3. ln a hair clipper. the combination with a base, a spring having projections, and a lower blade resting upon said spring and provided with holes for receiving said projections, of an upper blade resting` on the lower blade, and a driving mechanism for moving the upper blade over the lower one.

il. ln a hair clipper, a pair of identical blades each having relatively coarse teeth on one edge and relatively tine teethon the opposite edge, and connecting means by which either blade may be held stationary while the other is driven.

5. ln a hair clipper, a pair of identical blades eachhaving relatively coarse Jteeth on one edge and relatively fine teeth on the other edge, said blades each being provided with means by which it may be held stationary or driven, and said blades being so constructed that either side of one of them may operate in contact with either side of the other.

6. ln a hair clipper, a thin clipper blade j provided with openings thru which projections may pass for either holding or driving said blade, and other and larger openings providing clearance for the holding or vdriving connections which pass thru a companion thin clipper blade, and holding and driving projections adapted to fit into the irst mentioned openings. 4

7. ln a clipper, the combination with a driving lever, and an upper blade connected thereto and driven thereby, of a lower blade, a spring acting to press the lower blade against the upper blade, and a guard serving to protect the lower blade against extraneous pressure which would force the lower bladel against the upper blade.

8. In a clipper, the combination with a driving lever and a movable blade connected thereto, of a stationary blade, a spring serving to press the stationary blade against the movable blade, and an adjustable guard interposed between the stationary blade, and the body from which hair is being cut by the clipper.

9. A base, a resilient arm supporting on said base, an electro-magnet acting upon said arm as upon an armature, a movable blade detachably secured to said arm, a stationary blade, a spring secured to said base and acting to press the stationary blade against the movable blade, and an adjustable guard carried by said base and supported adjacent to the stationary blade.

10. ln a hair clipper, a base, a resilient armature supported at one end of the base and cutting blades supported at the other end of the base, a magnet located at an intermediate part of the length of the base, and a slightly resilient support for said magnet, said support being connected to the base near the place where the armature is supported, and the base being more massive at the end where the blades are located than at other places.

l1. ln a hair clipper, an upper blade and means for driving it, a thin and flexible lower blade adapted to tit by flexing to unevenness in the upper blade, and means for holding the lower blade stationary and pressing it into contact with the upper blade.

l2. ln a hair clipper, a pair of blades having serrated cutting edges, means for mounting one of said blades for reciprocation, and. spring pressed means engaging with the other of said blades at points distributed on its surface and within its boundary lor holding said blade stationary and pressing it evenly against the reciprocating blade at all points in its length.

i3. A clipper blade of thin material and having an attachment receiving opening adapted to lit either of two diderently shaped attachment means, said blade also having a clearance opening spaced lfrom and larger than the said attachment receiving opening.

and a guard extending below the cutting edge of the lower blade and adjustable toward and y away from said cutting edge of the lower blade.

16. In a hair clipper, thin material and alike blade having relatively coarse teeth on one edge and relatively tine teeth on the opposite edge, and said blade having two relatively large holes adjacent to the teeth on one edge and two relatively small holes similarly adjacent to the teeth on the other edge.

NILS E. NORSTROM.

a cutting blade of on both sides, said 

